Family Gathering
by Fabulous-Bending-Brother-Bolin
Summary: Iroh II invites his lover, Bolin, to a family gathering around the dinner table. Bolin is nervous, of course, as he has never met Iroh's family before. But he's heard stories about them, so he knows what to fear. He tries his hardest to make the best of it.
1. The Night Before

"But why do I have to go? Your great grandfather scares me." Bolin pouts, crossing his arms.

"Because, you're family!" Iroh II responds, smiling at him. "At least, to me you are. And don't worry about him. He doesn't bite... anymore. He's so old he had some of have fallen out. Mother will translate everything he says for you, don't worry."

"But then what about your grandfather? The scarred one? He really scares me. His scar only makes it worse." he pouts.

"Don't be afraid of him. He isn't as bad as my Great Grandfather, and he can't even speak audibly anymore."

Bolin sighs. "Okay." he says, packing his final outfit in his suitcase.

Iroh smiles, leaving the room. He sits at his desk, tapping his fingers as he looks out the window at the moon. He smiles, and takes of his leathery, red jacket and hangs it up on the coat rack near the door. He sits back down at his desk, resting his head on his hands. "Perhaps I'll wait on Bolin to finish up before I go to sleep." he thinks, and begins to whistle to "Secret Tunnel."

Bolin comes back and whistles to the part of the song where the lyrics are "And a mountain divides them apart...~"

"Built a path to be together!~" Iroh whistles back.

"And I forgot the next couple lines, but uhm, then it goes.." Bolin says.

"Secret Tunnel!~"

"Secret Tunnel!~"

"Through the mountains!~"

"Secret-"

"Secret-"

"Secret-"

"Secret-"

"Tunnel!~" they whistle together.

"Yeah!" Bolin says, laughing.

Iroh laughs with him. "Well, that was fun. I'm gonna get in my pajamas. How about you?" he asks.

"Okay." he smiles, leading Iroh to their closet. Bolin picks out a nice, clean, gray, muscle T-Shirt and takes off his sweater. He puts on the muscle shirt and yawns, and then goes back to the bedroom, where he kicks off his pants and lies on the bed, sleepily.

Iroh takes off his black sweater he had underneath his jacket and neatly hangs it back up. He picks out a clean, sort of transparent, V-Neck and takes off his pants as well and hangs them up. He smiles at Bolin when he walks in and lies next to him.

Bolin yawns. "Goodnight, love." he tells Iroh, kissing his cheek.

Iroh's cheeks flush, and he plants a light kiss on Bolin's lips. "Goodnight, beautiful." he says, smiles, and looks to the fire place in the room. (They had fire places, rather than lamps. It was a really nice feature of their house, and it was quite common with royal Fire Nation families.) He extends his arm and distinguishes the fire, and then yawns. He lies back down, facing Bolin and closes his eyes, slowly falling into a deep slumber.


	2. The Suspense is Killing Him

Bolin is so nervous, Iroh can hear his heart beating. "Bolin, relax. You are not going to die."

"That's what they all say."

"Oh, you've died before?" he asks, sarcastically, before he knocks on the door.

"Yes. It was quite painful." he sarcastically responds back at him.

"Ah. I see." he nods. "Well, you won't this time." he says, and then turns to the door.

A butler comes to the door and pulls the wide doors open. He knew it would be any of the reaming family members, but he didn't know Iroh would've brought Bolin with him. "Greetings, General Iroh." he bows.

"Thank you, my good sir." Iroh responds, smiling.

"With all due respect, my prince, why have you brought this.. peasant?" he asks, a quite disgusted facial expression.

Bolin looks to Iroh, a pout on his face. "Is that all I am to your family? A peasant?" he asks, actually hurt. That isn't something that usually happens to him.

"No, of course not!" Iroh says, and looks to the Butler with anger. "My boyfriend is not a peasant. You will never refer to him as a peasant again, or I could have my mother banish you." he barks. "Are we clear?"

"But his attire, dear Agni."

"Are we clear?"

"Yes, my prince." he bows again.

"Dear Agni is right. Where are your manners, foolish butler? That isn't how you speak to a guest.." he says, walking past him.

The Butler remains speechless as Iroh and Bolin walk past him. Never before had he seen anyone such as Bolin enter the palace.

Meanwhile, Bolin snuggles up to Iroh's arm. "That was the nicest thing you've ever done for me." he says, with a blush."Thank you." he grins.

Iroh chuckles. "You're very welcome. If anyone in my family hurts your feelings, please tell me. I'll be sure to tell the that they don't act rude to guests. Certainly not guests as important as you are, my love." he smiles, pecking a kiss on Bolin's cheek.

Bolin blushes again. "I love you so much." he says, smiling.

"I love you too. I hope my great Aunt isn't rude to you. She's almost impossible to argue with. We'd need my great grandparents to do that, and neither of them can really hear or speak." he pouts. "So just keep quiet to Great Aunt Azula, okay? And perhaps she won't burn you to death."

Bolin's eyes go wide, and his looks to Iroh with a pout. "Would she really do that?"

"I believe she has shot the avatar and her brother with lightning when she was just fourteen years old. I think those stories are just a myth, though." he shrugs.

He gulps. "Did you wait to tell me about her until now on purpose?" he asks.

"You wouldn't have come if I hadn't." Iroh shrugs.

"You're so mean." Bolin sighs. "Are you sure I'll be alive and well after we leave today?" he asks.

"I'm absolutely positive. The royal family is much more intelligent and respectful than the butlers we hire. That's why they are butlers, rather than family members. They're less ranked in society for a reason. They don't know respect, and they still don't after you tell them to shut up." he shrugs, leading Bolin up the stairs to the second floor.

"Ah. Like that one?" he asks.

"He was an excellent example."

"I see." Bolin nods. "So what all are we eating today?"

"Actually, I'm quite unsure. Usually the maids just do as the Fire Lord, or in our case, Fire Lady, says, regardless of what everyone else is asking." he shrugs.

"Oh. I guess I'll manage to deal with it." he shrugs.

"You will. Or else mother will banish you." Iroh pauses, waiting for a reaction. But since Bolin isn't surprised, he continues "I'm totally kidding. She'd never banish her son's boyfriend." he smiles, giving Bolin a hug. "Actually, mother is the one you'll most likely get along with."

"Oh." he laughs. "But that doesn't change my thoughts; I'm still scared."

"I know you are. But they aren't as bad as you might seem. They won't burn your face off if you're disrespectful, which I'm sure you won't be." he smiles, but then remembers that's what happened to his grandfather when he spoke out of turn. But, since Great Grandfather Ozai can't bend anymore, Bolin's safe.

"I hope they won't." he pouts.

"They won't! Stop fearing the event, damn it. They will not lay a finger on you. I won't allow them to. I'd allow them to burn my face before I'd let them hurt you." he smiles, kissing Bolin's cheek.

"I'm sorry, but I think you'd look fabulous with a scar." he laughs, kissing Iroh's cheek back.

"Oh, so I don't look fabulous already?" Iroh asks, sarcastically, and pouts.

"No, no. You'd look fabulous...-er."

"So am I just not fabulous enough for you, Bolin?" he asks, faking his sad voice.

He laughs. "You're incredibly fabulous. Too fabulous for me, almost." he chuckles. "I'm just kidding, there's no such thing as too fabulous." he smiles, poking Iroh's flawless cheek bones.

He chuckles. "We're almost to the dining room."

"Okay.. I guess you could say I'm looking forward to getting there. Meeting your family finally seems nice." he says, less enthusiastic than what he could be.

"There's that mode of confidence!" Iroh grins, and laughs.

Bolin laughs back, but it's a sarcastic laugh. He's really scared. What if Iroh's family didn't like him? That would practically crush him.


	3. The Dinner Table

Iroh gets his hand on the doorknob and looks to Bolin. "Are you okay?" he asks. "You look afraid."

"Of course I'm afraid." he pouts. "Don't worry about it. Just.. just, be sure to introduce me like I have some dignity. Right now I don't really feel like speaking." he says, feeling more nervous than ever.

Iroh sighs. "I really wish I would've listened to you when you said you didn't want to go. Now I feel bad." he says, taking his hand off of the doorknob and giving him a hug. He pats his back, resting his head on top of Bolin's. "Don't worry. I'll be sure we're the first to leave." he says, patting Bolin's upper back softly.

"Okay.." he says. He decides to make the best of it, and put on a smile of confidence.

"That's the spirit." Iroh grins, and then steps in front of Bolin. He rests his hand on the door knob and turns it, looking into the room ahead of him. "Hello, everyone." he says, with a grin. "Mind if I introduce someone to you?" he asks. Bolin was hiding on the wall, incredibly scared to look at everyone in the room.

Ozai grunts something unintelligible, as he's so old he can't speak.

Iroh I just sits happily and sips on some hot, Jasmine he taught his granddaughter, Iroh II's mother, to make.

Azula glares at Iroh II, angrily. Practically with her eyes, she shouts 'Oh, I see. I guess none of us are important enough now that you can just do as you please, without telling us.'

Zuko recognizes this, and elbows her. 'Azula!' he silently shouts at her.

'Shut it, Zuzu.'

Zuko sighs. "Of course we don't mind. Where's your boyfriend, 'Roh?" he asks.

Honora just giggles, thinking "'Roh" is too silly of a nickname. She doesn't care, as Iroh I and her have made enough food for double the people in the room.

Iroh looks to Bolin, and nods. "Come on in, love." he says, to him with a smile, and then turns back to his family. "Everyone, this is my lovely boyfriend. His name is Bolin."

Bolin steps out from behind the wall. Of course, he knows these are royal people, so he has enough sense to bow. He gets up, and fakes a smile of confidence. "Hello." he says, intending on making a good impression, if he wants Iroh's family to like him.

"Greetings, 'Bolin.'" Honora says. "Come, sit. We have plenty of food to go around." she grins.

He hides a gulp and pulls out a seat for Iroh. "Thank you, love."he says, sitting down.

He nods, sitting adjacent to him. There's already a plate in front of him. As if it was planned for the room to be full of people, plates were placed in front of every chair. He examines his food, and nothing really looks special except for the noodles. He knows he likes soup, so he might as well try it. But, to make a good impression, he looks around at everyone.

Azula hasn't touched her food. She just glares at Iroh II, angrily.

Zuko was a quarter of the way done, slowly nibbling on some rice.

Honora is just about to start.

Ozai is just always angry and hateful toward everything, he's gone to the extremes of stabbing his meat with a knife and leaving it there. He obviously did not want to be there, either.

Iroh just sits happily, gulping down his tea.

"That tea is going to kill him, one of these days.." Azula mutters.

"Azula! We don't talk about death at Family gatherings." Honora hisses.

"Oh, be quiet, you. You'll give the impression to Iroh's little boyfriend that you're a nice lady. When in reality, you're nothing more than a sad little girl who got lucky enough to be the Fire Lord's daughter."

Zuko's eyebrows tense and he slams the fork down on a plate. Very childishly, he tips her chair over. "Never say that about my daughter again!" he barks.

"Oof!" she lets escape her tiny, pale lips, and. "Why, if I had my bending, you'd have such a bad burn it wouldn't be a burn anymore. The very flesh would rot off your skin, along with your bones and-"

"Enough!" Iroh II speaks up. "Great Aunt Azula, you will not burn anyone. Mother, don't listen to her. She's just bitter that you were the first ever Fire Lady, and not her."

Azula rages silently, fixing her seat and crossing her arms, muttering something unintelligible.

Everyone who was eating, though, had well table manners. A napkin rested in their lap, and a knife to cut their food with. They never yank the knife to hard, though. Bolin tried it, and it seemed quite easy. Though, he's never really done it before. He just hopes he doesn't screw up and someone comments on his terrible, peasantlike table manners.

He takes note of Iroh II, and how smoothly he cuts his meat into slices about an inch in volume. He attempts to copy him, and actually gets pretty close. He cut it a bit bigger, but not too much that any of them would notice it and point it sat and ate their food quietly, and an awkward silence engulfed the table.

"Oh Agni, someone say something." Iroh II thought.

Bad idea. "So, my grandson. What is your boyfriend's name again?" Zuko speaks up, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Bolin feels like speaking up, but knows it isn't his turn and decides to let Iroh talk for him.

"His name is Bolin." he tells him.

"Ah. He looks to me like an earthbender. Am I correct, Bolin?" he asks, directly speaking to him.

'Oh no, I have to speak.' he thought. 'What on earth do I call him? Sir? Your highness?' "Yes, sir, I am." he tells him.

Iroh sighs in relief, fearing Bolin might've screwed up and addressed his grandfather without a proper title.

"I see. One time I knew an earthbender who was blind but could see through her feet. I don't exactly remember how she did it, being so old an all. Uncle might. But he's even older than I am, and can't hear what's going on." Zuko announces.

Little did Zuko know that Uncle Iroh could hear everything going on in the room perfectly. They had all tricked Zuko into thinking that, and Bolin was the only one in the room who wasn't in on the joke.

"Grandfather, it isn't polite to stare." Honora says to Ozai, who was undetectably shooting daggers at Bolin with his eyes.

Iroh turns his head to the sound of his mother's voice, and then looks to Ozai. He follows his eyes to Bolin. To start off telling Ozai to quit glaring at his boyfriend like that, he fakes a cough. "Great grandfather, I'd really appreciate it if you'd listen to mother." he says, with a shrug.

Even though it was the most disrespectful thing anyone at the table had heard, no one said anything. Both of them were right. It was very impolite of him, especially to a guest such as this one, his great grandson's lover.

'Is there something wrong with me?' Bolin thought, slowly sinking in his chair.

"Mmmmnbggmbg." Ozai mumbles. It was obviously something rude, as he was looking at Bolin with daggers when he said it.

Bolin looks to Iroh II, upset. "I feel so unwelcome here.." He whispered, quietly.

Honora, however, heard it. She pouts, looking down at her plate.

Looking to Honora, Bolin asks "May I be excused?"

Hesitating, she looks to her son for approval.

He looked away, but nodded.

"You may." she says, sighing.


	4. All That Glitters May or May not be Gold

"Thank you, Milady." Bolin said, hesitantly, and slowly pulled his chair back. He stood up, pushed his chair back in, and then hurried out of the room, being sure to close the door behind him.

While he was gone, eyes traveled all the way across the room to Ozai, with looks of anger, shame, and hate. Especially from Iroh II. Even if you took up all the looks from the others and doubled them, it still wouldn't be as painful as his. Because he was the only one Bolin's heart belonged to. He knows how Bolin feels right now, and he knew exactly where he was, too. He knew how he was handling it, and it wasn't that nice.

"I'll be back." Iroh said, without bothering to ask for permission. He stared Ozai down until he left the room, and the door still stood wide open.

Chuckles filled the room, and the eyes went from Iroh to Ozai again, this time in shock. More so _You're really screwed, now_, rather than _I can't believe you did that._

Iroh listened to where his mind told him to check first. It was the supply closet, three doors down the hall to their left and on the opposite wall.

And sure enough, he was right. Iroh found Bolin sitting on an overturned bucket, just bawling into a towel. He slammed the door behind him and sat next to him, wrapping his arms tightly around his lover, patting his shoulder. "There, there." he consoled him. "It's alright. You're fine."

"No, I'm not. I know they hate me. I could just feel the eagerness in her words when she let me leave the room." he said, sniffling.

"No, you couldn't. My mother did what she thought was best. She didn't want anyone to see you suffer at the table while he glared at you."

"So, she wanted me out of the room?" he asks.

_Shit. I shouldn't have worded it like that._ Iroh thought, and scratched the right side of his head, above his ear. "I didn't mean it like that."

"So, it's even worse than that?" he asked, assuming the worst possible option: Honora herself didn't like him. Now, it's one thing for an old man not to like him, who doesn't have many days left. But another if the middle-aged mother of his one, true love didn't. That's such a terrible situation to be in. And it wasn't even the case.

Iroh's eyes arched downward, actually feeling upset now. "Bolin, please look at me." he said, with a pout.

He sniffled, wiped his damp face, and looked up at him. "Whether or not she hates me, you can never deny that he doesn't." He said. "Do you know how that makes me feel? I don't think you understand. I feel _hated, neglect_-"

Iroh interrupted him by planting his lips against Bolin's soggy ones, regardless of how salty and unpleasant they tasted. He closed his eyes and held his hand on to Bolin's cheek.

It was one of those _Shut up, you talk too much_ kind of kisses, obviously. But Iroh spoke the language of the lips much better than English. It was so much easier to get the message across to him that It's alright if someone doesn't like you. If everyone likes you, you're doing it wrong.

Bolin actually listened to him, this time. He nodded rested his arms on top of Iroh's shoulders, interlocking his fingers around each other.

Iroh stopped to breathe, and then opened his eyes. "I love you. And that's all that matters. Right?" he asked.

He pauses for a moment, and then, responds. "I love you, too."


End file.
